One Lone Honey Bee

Sometimes I cry for mother nature. I try not to, but I can't help myself. A tremendous sadness comes over me; I cry mostly because I feel powerless to make things better. Yesterday when the sun was warm enough, dozens of yellow butterflies were flocking to the bright red blossoms of the pineapple sage. I walked over to revel in their late fall sipping frenzy. I was thankful for the long autumn and grateful I'd planted the sage, not realizing it would provide food for so many this late in the season.

pineapple sage flower here in my Georgia garden

As I watched the butterflies I saw a honey bee, one lone honey bee, moving from each red blossom to another. He was trying to get pollen from the sage flowers. I wasn't sure he could even reach the pollen in such deep and narrow flowers. I glanced around and didn't see any other honey bees. I wondered if there were any more. Where did this one lone honey bee live? Where was his hive. Did this honey bee have an active hive to go home to? How would he make it through the winter if he had no other hive members to help keep him warm?

honey bee on dusty miller flower in my California garden

Then I thought how sad he must feel if he was the only bee left in his hive. I know bees communicate to one another about where to find their pollen plants. If I didn't see any other honey bees here, there might not be any more. He didn't have a fellow hive member to tell the location of the pollen plant. Maybe he was the only honey bee left. I cried a little more at the sadness of his life, the one lone honey bee. I vowed to plant more pollen plants and pray I see more honey bees next year.

Hummingbird Food, Catmint and Salvia

Here's catmint, Nepeta x faassenii, growing in my garden. The catmint was planted in late Spring from a three inch pot. I placed it near the steps going down to the perennial garden so it could drape over the ledge. If you deadhead the flowers catmint blooms continuously from Spring to Fall and it keeps a nice compact shape. The small bumblebees and hummingbirds love the nectar of this plant.

Yesterday as I was watering the catmint an irridescent green hummingbird came right up and sipped nectar less than a foot from me. It was quite warm in the late afternoon and I think the hummingbird was very thirsty. The catmint is in the same family as catnip.

Here's what my perennial garden looks like now. Can you see Barney sitting there? Next Spring I'll fill in between some of the plants with more hardy perennial flowers.

See how the salvia, pineapple sage, is blooming all over the ends of the stalks now. I put the chair there so Barney can't sneak up on the hummingbirds.

 The salvia flowers start out drooping like this.

Then as the flowers open they stand straight up. Several hummingbirds have been having territorial wars over the shrub. Thanks for reading and for all your comments.

Pineapple Sage

At the beginning of summer I planted a number of herbs, one of them being pineapple sage, Salvia elegans. The plant is just now starting to bloom and both hummingbirds and butterflies love it. The plant is a short day plant which means it doesn't flower until the length of sunlight during the day lessons. Even a porch light may negatively affect their blooms; moon and star light aren't bright enough to affect blooming. The plant blooms over a long period of time in late autumn. I love the fact the blossoms provide food for hummingbirds and butterflies late in the season when there may not be other plants blooming.

The plant has gotten four foot tall in one season and was planted from a three inch pot. In a hard frost the plant will die to the ground but will hopefully come back next season. The leaves and flowers are edible and medicinal. Pineapple sage is native to the mountains of Mexico and Guatemala and is used in Mexican traditional medicine for anxiety and lowering blood pressure. The plant has antidepressant and anti-anxiety properties.

Sunday I fired a bisque load and yesterday I glazed. I fired the kiln overnight last night. Tomorrow I should have some new pots to show you. Thanks for reading and for all your comments.